Liquid epoxy resins are usually prepared by reacting an epihalohydrin and a dihydric phenol in the presence of a catalyst to produce a halohydrin-containing resin intermediate and thereafter reacting such intermediate with a basic acting material such as sodium hydroxide. The resultant reaction mixture is then treated, usually by water washing, to remove salt and residual catalyst.
The present process does not employ any basic acting material thereby producing a salt free reaction mixture which provides a water washing stream free of such salt which provides for easier recovery of catalyst, if desired, or easier waste disposal since the salt free water wash stream effluent does not have to be diluted prior to being sent to biotreatment waste disposal means.